Protecteur
by AngelPair
Summary: In which Arthur has issues with some alpha bullies and Francis needs to step in (if he ever notices). Pre-relationship. Characters around 16. Omegaverse AU - FrUK with Alpha Francis and Omega Arthur. Part 2 of a FrUK omegaverse series, but can be read alone.
1. Chapter 1

This is, at last, part two of the FrUK omegaverse series! The fics in this series can be read alone and in any order (as I've not even been writing them in order) and details on the series can be found at the bottom of my profile on ff net

The characters are around 16 in this, and it the FrUK is pre-relationship.

Sorry to the characters I chose to be the bad guys of the fic. It was hard but some had to be sacrificed :'(

Warnings for mild violence, bullying (obviously), and possibly some swearing throughout this fic.

Arthur shivered in the semi-darkness, pulling his coat tighter around himself as he rummaged in his pockets for his gloves – autumn had turned to winter just a week prior, and Arthur still found himself unprepared for the unexpected iciness that hit every time he left a building. The darkness too was something unexpected, though that was more his own fault than the season's, as he had huddled in the school's library with his homework for hours after the final bell had rung that day.

Unwilling to suffer the ache that would undoubtedly come from putting his nose to work in the frozen air, Arthur nervously squinted into the late evening. Eventually, with too many shadowy areas of school ground that he just could not see into, he relented, and unwilling to walk any further from the school building, just a few metres behind him, without an assurance of safety, he gave the air a few deep sniffs.

The area at first seemed void of human life, and he walked a little further, almost having left the safety of the school grounds all together before he sensed that something wasn't quite right - not through scent, as his nose was tucked away into the warmth of his collar, but through some form of instinct. Taking his face out of his jacket, he sniffed again, and faced with the scent of the threat he had been trying to avoid, the nervousness that he had carried through the school grounds turned into panic.

Forcing himself not to flee back into the school building, Arthur took a shaky breath, trying to will away his exaggerated fear and turn it into anger towards himself. Of course the alphas weren't stupid enough to wait for him directly outside the school building. Arthur had been the stupid one in assuming that they would forgo their promised after-school meeting if the he spent long enough hiding out in the library.

Straightening himself up in the way an alpha would during a fight or argument, he growled at the air in front of him, trying to appear somewhat threatening whilst he inwardly cursed himself for being too proud to call one of his brothers for a ride home. His growl received a laugh in response, causing more anger to form among his nerves, and taking a deep breath, he strode forward with all the false confidence he could assemble, hoping that the pesky alpha foursome would leave him alone if he blanked them completely. He didn't get far, however, before a tall figure stepped out of the shadows of some trees, blocking his path. The alpha was followed by a two more sniggering figures, and one silent one.

"Good evening, little omega," the first and tallest alpha leered in a strong Russian accent.

"Ivan," Arthur sneered back, though he couldn't suppress a shiver upon meeting the Russian's cold stare. A pair of hands landing heavily on his shoulders distracted him from the staring contest, and he jumped. One of the other alphas - the Turkish student who had only transferred recently to the school - had moved without Arthur noticing. He seemed to have become considerably more tense than when Arthur had glanced at him a moment ago.

"I think we should all have our little talk over there," Sadiq's tone held a hint of urgency as he nodded towards a more secluded corner of the school's car park, before glancing behind him, where two teachers, finished with their day's work, were heading to their nearby cars. Ivan smiled widely and nodded in agreement.

Arthur frowned to himself, thinking it pathetic how scared the alphas were of getting caught. He also knew going anywhere so secluded with them would be dangerous, and decided to speak up. "I think I'd rather go home," he spat, trying to rip himself away from Sadiq. The alpha's grip tightened however, and the omega was unable to do much as Sadiq shoved him along, with Ivan, and a snickering Dane, Matthias, following behind.

"Hey, you not coming Al?" Arthur heard Matthias shout behind him, and Arthur frowned. Alfred had been a friend of Arthur's for a long time, though recently, as expected for their age, he had began to prefer the company of other alphas. Although Arthur was not surprised by this, he thought Alfred had made a questionable choice in friendship, considering it was with a group Alfred knew to be already harassing Arthur before the "friendship" formed. Although Arthur acted angry at this, he was more hurt than anything else.

"Nah, I have to go help Dad fix the car," Alfred grinned sheepishly, and Arthur rolled his eyes. Alfred rarely joined in with his friends antics, but the fact that he supported them and never stuck up for Arthur was what hurt and disgusted the young omega. Arthur didn't think of himself as particularly important or worthy, and maybe with his harsh, and often rude, personality he deserved the treatment more than most, but it would have been nice if someone he had once considered a close friend made at least some attempt to help him.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure you do," Matthias laughed, waving Alfred away.

His alpha "friends" didn't even care if he joined in or not and he couldn't even bring himself to speak up, Arthur frowned to himself.

"We'll see you tomorrow then," Sadiq added, though unfortunately he didn't remove himself from Arthur to wave, only hesitating to look back at the American alpha before continuing to the isolated corner of the car park.

After Alfred left, Arthur made one more attempt to rip himself free from Sadiq's grip, but the attempt came too late. They had, apparently, reached where Sadiq wanted to be, and after (to his surprise) being released for a moment, Arthur found himself slammed harshly against a wall, and he cried out in shock.

"You're still not going anywhere," Sadiq sneered, and despite the alpha's intimidating build and scent, Arthur refused to let himself show any fear. The alphas, although they had been teasing and trying to scare him for the past month, had yet to do anything to actually hurt him, and so he tried to reason with his natural omega instincts that there was nothing to fear. It was hard, as his instincts screamed that an alpha was angry with him and he should be trying to please them, but Arthur had been ignoring his instincts all his life, and he was sure he could hold on for a little while longer.

Arthur had been told by his mother, when Alistair had come home in a huge amount of trouble for a lesser case of teasing, that apparently, bullying behaviour was not uncommon for hormonal alphas at this age. However, Arthur's unwillingness to submit seemed to have landed himself in more trouble than necessary. It was by standing up for himself that Arthur became a target in the first place, and his pride kept his mouth shut, and therefore kept the three alphas safe from similar penalty.

Building up some courage, mainly done by ignoring Ivan's presence, Arthur glared into Sadiq's eyes, and took a step forward, trying to shove past the larger alpha. Both Sadiq and Matthias laughed at this, seeming to find amusement in Arthur's attempts, and the omega immediately found himself pushed back against the wall, this time being pinned by Sadiq's hands on his upper arms.

"Sorry, do you have somewhere you need to be?" Sadiq snickered as Arthur growled wriggled slightly, keeping up his glare despite Sadiq squeezing his arms tighter than was comfortable.

Arthur hissed at the alpha, before making a sudden (and slightly thoughtless, although typical of him) decision. He brought his knee up, crashing it into the surprised Turkish alpha's crotch, causing the alpha to cry out and collapse.

Arthur smirked, glad to see the alpha so easily brought down, but didn't deny to himself that the action had been slightly stupid. He made to run passed the floored alpha, expecting from the dumbfounded look on Matthias's face that the alpha would not be paying enough attention to stop Arthur from leaving. He realised the mistake in this when another hand pulled him back painfully by his hair and twisted him round, and he found himself face to face with the much more intimidating alpha, Ivan.

Although Arthur had so far successfully hidden his fear of the other two alphas, controlling his scents and emotions when Ivan was involved was something else. There was a hint of something genuinely dangerous about the alpha, yet Arthur still managed to muster the courage to raise his leg in an attempt to kick at Ivan's shin. Ivan, however, effortlessly grabbed him by his raised leg, letting go of his hair before flipping him painfully onto the ground.

Arthur chocked as the air was knocked out of him, making to stand up in panic. He was prevented from rising when a foot slammed down onto his shoulder. He looked up, Ivan appearing impossibly tall from his position on the floor, and noticed that the Russian had been joined by the recovered Sadiq, whilst Matthias, snapped out from his stupor, stood slightly aside from the pair, looking amused.

"I think you'll need to apologise to Sadiq here before you go running off anywhere. Little omegas shouldn't behave so rudely to alphas," Ivan smiled deceptively sweetly, though Arthur knew the true danger in the expression.

"I think Sadiq needs to keep his hands off me," Arthur growled back, both pleased at his bravery and annoyed at his inability to simply apologise to the alpha and hopefully be allowed to go home.

"No, I definitely think that you need to apologise, or else some ribs may end up broken," Ivan's smile never left his face as the pressure on Arthur's shoulder became painful. The omega managed to hold back a whimper, but couldn't stop his eyes from watering. He still managed to glare up – at Sadiq and not Ivan - through the discomfort, refusing to back down or apologise.

The pressure suddenly moved from his shoulder to his rib cage, before increasing suddenly, and Arthur was sure something was about to shatter. The omega was determined not to give in, however that was difficult when Sadiq's genuinely angered scent was taken into account, and Arthur could feel his omega instincts threatening to break through his barrier of pride.

"Shit," Matthias swore suddenly, breaking a tense and angered silence, "teacher's coming," he said, and the pressure was gone from Arthur's ribs in an instant, with Matthias and Sadiq turning away.

"Hey! No fighting in the school yard!" and annoyed shout came from across the school grounds, the teacher too far away to see what was really going on.

Arthur stood, incredibly glad for the interruption, and he took a shaky glance at Ivan, who was still staring at him with an unsettling smile.

"Until next time, little Arthur," he smiled, and Arthur, seeing he was being let go, fled without replying, ignoring the pain in his stomach and the gravel stuck to his back, driven by fear he had been holding back around the alphas.

Home was a ten minute walk, but, apparently, a much quicker run. Arthur was unsurprised, and relieved, to be the only one there on his arrival – his parents working and his brothers hanging out elsewhere with friends. Heading straight for a hot, relaxing shower, Arthur debated over how much courage it would take to ever show up to school and face the alphas again.


	2. Chapter 2

Arthur lay back on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as he debated faking sick to avoid going into school.

Not only was he exhausted, gaining very little sleep the night before as his brain refused to rest after the eventful evening, but he had also become nervous about when he would next face the alphas. He never had apologised to Sadiq before the alphas had left, and he knew the Turkish alpha would take the wound to his pride very seriously. Arthur hated to admit it, but he was scared to show his face in school again. Ivan had actually tried to hurt him last night, and his skin, delicate even for an omega, had bruised enough to show it. Arthur was no longer sure if he could simply ignore and smart mouth his antagonisers.

Finally convincing himself that Ivan's violence was simply a one-off retaliation to Arthur's own attack on Sadiq, the Brit stood from the bed, grabbing his school bag and leaving without breakfast.

"Arthur!" Arthur heard his name shouted as he walked through the front gates of the school. He sighed. He was in no mood to talk to the pushy (and far too intuitive) French alpha calling for him, who would no doubt identify immediately that there was something wrong with the omega.

"Fuck off, Francis," Arthur growled, deciding not to bother hiding his bad mood. If he refused to speak to his apparent "mate to be" (a label Arthur disagreed with and cringed at) then no pushing could take place.

Francis was not taken aback, used to Arthur's attitude, and he approached the omega regardless, slinging and unwanted arm around the small blond's shoulders.

"Why don't you tell me what has you in such a bad mood today, hm?" Francis requested, and Arthur seethed at the condescending tone.

"You have me in a bad mood, get the fuck off me," Arthur hissed, shoving the arm off his shoulder and putting distance between himself and the alpha.

Francis, clearly not convinced, made to approach the omega again, and seeing this, Arthur sped up his pace. He was still shaken, and Francis would no doubt notice that if Arthur stuck around. Slipping into a crowd, Arthur glanced behind himself, glad to see that Francis had not been able to follow and was instead standing where Arthur had left him, looking perplexed.

Arthur smiled smugly to himself. He had no classes with Francis that day, and he was an expert at avoiding the French alpha come break and lunch. One problem was solved, but there was still a more pressing one to worry about. Arthur sighed and headed into the school building, keeping an eye out for any more unwanted alphas.

By lunch, Arthur's day had passed surprisingly peacefully and undisturbed.

Heading to the third floor of the school, as far away from the lunch hall as possible, Arthur located the study room that was usually left abandoned during lunch times. Technically, no-one was allowed in the room without a teacher's supervision, but Arthur knew that it was rare for anyone to come by and check on the room. On the occasion that a teacher did, they wouldn't care too much about the presence of a lone omega reading a book in the corner.

Arthur sat down at a table on the window side of the classroom, pulling out a book and ignoring his lunch (Francis would complain about that, Arthur thought with a snort, but really he felt too nervous and on edge to eat).

He spent twenty peaceful minutes, undisturbed and absorbed in his book, when he heard the door click open.

He turned, prepared to apologise to a teacher who was probably not expecting to see a pupil using the study room, but instead he froze, shrinking back in his chair slightly when he came face to face with the four other alphas he had been avoiding.

"Thanks, Alfred," Matthias grinned, slapping the American on the shoulders, "You always know where to find this one,"

Alfred grinned back, though Arthur noticed that he didn't look truly happy. "No problem, dude," he laughed, and the fear on Arthur's face turned to anger, directed at the blond American.

 _Asshole_ , Arthur thought, though he stayed quiet as the group approached, standing once Sadiq and Ivan, walking ahead of the others, reached his table.

"Can I help you?" Arthur growled, folding his arms and glaring up at Sadiq (Arthur didn't bother trying to glare at Ivan).

"I think you owe me and apology for last night," Sadiq leered, leaning over Arthur and smirking when the omega shrank back, even if it was only slightly.

"I don't owe you anything," Arthur snorted, continuing to stare defiantly at Sadiq, despite being backed against the table behind him. He grabbed up his bag, turning his back on the alpha despite feeling uncomfortably vulnerable in doing so, and stuffed his book and uneaten lunch away. He turned back round to face Sadiq and placed his bag on the table between them, "So I'll be leaving,"

Sadiq snorted in amusement, and grabbed the front of Arthur's shirt over the table, although not particularly aggressively. "I thought you would have learned from yesterday that you don't go anywhere if we don't want you to,"

Arthur found himself suddenly spun away from the table, landing harshly into someone's chest. Arthur froze for a moment, noticing from scent that it was Alfred he had been thrown to, and he quickly tried to move himself away from the alpha with a hiss.

He was shoved back into his ex-friend's chest by Matthias as soon as he moved, however.

"Hold him still, will ya?" Matthias asked, and Alfred laughed nervously.

"Sure, sure," he said, easily wrapping his arms around Arthur, who growled and wriggled uselessly. Sadiq was soon standing over Arthur again, trying to manipulate the omega into fear using his still underdeveloped scents.

Arthur looked away quickly, unwilling to face the threat presented to him, though his chin was gripped by two strong fingers and his head tilted upwards regardless. With his face forced in the alpha's direction anyway, Arthur glowered. Although the situation was rather hopeless for the omega, he was angry enough at Alfred to not give in yet.

Sadiq leaned forward suddenly, slipping his hands under Arthur's shirt and gripping the omega's hips tightly. Arthur was too confused by the advancement to react, though he sensed Alfred bristle behind him. To Arthur's disappointed, the American did nothing, allowing Sadiq to lean his face close enough to Arthur's that the Brit could feel his breath on his own face, and Arthur cringed at the uncomfortable closeness.

Instead of making any further advances, Sadiq growled deeply, fingertips and nails digging further into Arthur's hips. Unintentionally, Arthur gave a very quiet whimper, his earlier determination leaving him as his mind prevented him from focusing on anything but the two alphas he was trapped between, in particular, the one causing him pain.

"I need an apology now, Arthur" Sadiq hissed, and Arthur would have shrank back had he not already been pressed so tightly against Alfred's chest.

"I-I'm sorry," he whispered, and he found his hips immediately released from Sadiq's grip, the alpha's dominating scent also disappearing. Alfred also released Arthur, apparently sensing that Sadiq had finished.

The Turk laughed suddenly and loudly, and Arthur flinched. A couple of hard slaps on the back from the alpha caused Arthur to lurch. Realising he had somehow pleased the Sadiq, and assuming the alpha had accomplished whatever he had come for, Arthur rushed back over to the table that held his backpack, swinging the item onto his back.

"I knew you could be a good omega," Sadiq praised mockingly, and Arthur forced himself not to react to the comment, noticing that the alphas were leaving and not wanting to give them any reason to hang around. For a moment, Alfred seemed as if he were going to stay, looking conflicted, but it was no surprise to Arthur when he left with his friends.

Ivan was the last to leave, smiling in a manner that made the Omega uncomfortable. The smile turned darker, seeming to hold a promise that Arthur could not interpret, and he shivered, feeling as if he were again trapped, until Ivan turned out of the room to follow the others.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm not coming," Arthur growled for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"Please, Arthur, I don't want you sitting around your home all alone and miserable whilst the rest of the school is at my fabulous party!" Francis wailed dramatically, clinging to Arthur's shirt.

"Shut up you imbecile, you're making a scene," the omega hissed. It had been a few weeks since the incident in the study room, and, mostly due to his own efforts in avoiding them, Arthur had not heard anything from the four bothersome alphas. The large bruise had faded from his stomach; the smaller, finger-tip bruises had completely disappeared from his hips; and (much to Arthur's relief) these mild injuries had gone completely undiscovered.

Arthur groaned loudly as Francis began to shake him slightly, not content to leave Arthur to read in peace.

"Please, Arthur! It's not just some random party, it _my_ party! How could you not come to the party of such a close friend?"

"Social events just aren't my thing, Francis, you know that ," Arthur tried to brush the alpha off.

"Ah, but alcohol _is_ your thing, is it not?" Francis smirked, knowing that that would capture the omega's attention.

Arthur frowned. "I suppose..." he trailed off, looking unsure, before shaking his head. "No, I won't enjoy myself regardless. I won't come," he huffed.

"Please! I can get a hold of anything you want! It won't be a fun party for me at all if you are not there!" Francis wailed again, and Arthur glared at the people in the lunch hall staring at the two. The alpha really knew how to be an embarrassment.

"Get off me, Francis," Arthur growled as he was pulled from behind into the alpha's arms, nudging the French blond harshly in the ribs. After a small struggle, Arthur sighed and relented. "I'll go to your blasted party as long as you don't bother me about anything else for the rest of the week,"

"Wonderful!" Francis exclaimed, whirling Arthur around on his chair to face him before pulling the disgruntled Brit into a hug. "The party starts at nine, but come round a few hours earlier so we can hang out! Only Toni will be there so early, so don't worry," Francis grinned, knowing that Arthur wouldn't want to be stuck with any of Francis's more rowdy friends.

"Yeah, whatever, I'll see you then," Arthur sighed, removing himself from his French friend's arms. He just had to keep an eye out for Sadiq and Ivan, and he'd be fine, he convinced himself, pushing his worry away.

"I think you should take a break, Arthur," a soft voice murmured in his ear as an arm looped around his, pulling him to his feet.

Arthur stared down, confused as to how he ended up on the floor, before looking up at his Canadian friend.

"Break? Break? I'm not even tipsy yet!" Arthur slurred, falling backwards, out of his friends grip and (thankfully) onto a nearby couch. "Just a few more, okay," Arthur struggled to pull himself up before taking a step in the direction of the kitchen.

"I understand, but you really should slow down. Please just wait a little while before you drink any more," the Canadian omega seemed slightly stressed as he guided his drunk British friend back to the sofa. "Please," he added again, relieved to see the Brit sink back down into the cushions.

"Okay, just a little while," Arthur slurred, zoning out before snapping back to attention, "but I'll go to the bathroom now, I'll be back!"

Matthew sighed. He honestly preferred Arthur's usual grumpiness to his slightly oblivious drunken state.

"Okay, I'll wait here for you then, don't be long," Matthew said, wondering, as Arthur pushed himself away from the couch and stumbled towards the staircase, where on earth Francis had gotten to.

Francis's house was large – near enough a mansion - but Arthur knew it well, and it didn't take him long to locate an isolated bathroom that wasn't full of puking teenagers. The omega himself was not bad at keeping his alcohol in his stomach (for which he was glad, as there was nothing he hated more than being sick). However, he tended to get incredibly drunk incredibly quickly, not that that was a fault he was willing to admit. It was a common trait among omegas, but it didn't stop Arthur from drinking as much as an alpha when no-one was there to stop him. He had a lot more drinking he wanted to do that night, and by his own standards, he wasn't all that drunk yet.

Arthur finished up in the bathroom quickly, intending to get back to Matthew before the omega called a search party after the lengthy drunk trip he took getting to the bathroom. He was interrupted, however, as he tried to leave.

"Arthur! Hey, Arthur!" an incredibly drunk Matthias slurred, approaching the omega. The alpha's presence was unexpected and unwanted, and Arthur backed up slightly, giving the Dane an unfocused glare.

"Hey, I was looking for you everywhere! I heard you'd be here, Matthew told me where to find you, he was worried about you!"

"Right...well..." Arthur trailed off awkwardly, aware that the Dane was highly intoxicated - much more than Arthur was himself - and not willing to stick around the drunken alpha for longer than he needed to. "I'll go let him know I'm alright," he tried to calmly walk past the alpha with minimal stumbling, but was surprised when Matthias lunged forward instead, shoving Arthur back into the bathroom.

Arthur somehow caught himself before he fell, swearing aloud and cursing Matthew for leading the drunken Dane to him. The boy had probably assumed that the apparently friendly alpha would make a good escort, and that was probably Arthur's own fault for not mentioning anything to his omega friends.

The bathroom door was slammed shut, and then locked, to Arthur's discomfort. He eyed Matthias warily, confused as to why the alpha looked perfectly cheery despite the fact he clearly had nothing pleasant in mind.

"Just want to talk to ya, don't look at me like that," Matthias snickered at the omega's expression.

"What about?" Arthur asked carefully, eyeing the slightly blurry door behind the alpha.

Matthias's attitude changed suddenly, the drunken cheer disappearing in an instant.

"You're not looking at me," Matthias growled, approaching Arthur and tugging him forward by his shirt. The drunk and unbalanced omega stumbled into the alpha's chest, before being pushed backwards on the floor, landing on his elbows.

Arthur made a noise, half growl and half whine, and attempted to stand. Quickly, he was pushed back down by the alpha. Matthias could be an incredibly angry drunk if annoyed, Arthur suddenly remembered being told by his Norwegian beta friend, and so the Brit made the decision to stay on the floor where he was pushed.

"What did you want to talk about?" Arthur asked as coherently as he could, his disoriented mind not able to create a better idea than to go along with the Dane for now. The threat of a dangerous and angered alpha was, to an extent, sobering, but there was no true way to quickly rid of the alcohol in his system. Arthur knew he was probably a lot more out of it that he felt like he was, and if he tried to make a run for anywhere, he would probably end up falling over instead.

"I want to talk about you! You piss me off," Matthias growled, the anger in his scent spiking so suddenly that Arthur flinched. He said nothing, waiting for an elaboration.

"You act so proud and noble - you're a fucking omega but you think you're better everyone else, trying to act like an alpha all the time," Matthias slurred angrily, and Arthur glanced up in confusion. He was aware that he didn't act like a typical omega, and others had expressed irritation at his "un-omega-like" behaviour in the past, but he didn't think he acted like he was any better than anyone else. He also certainly didn't try to act like an alpha, because that sort of behaviour was not anything Arthur saw as desirable at all.

"Even now! You're stuck on the floor in front of me, and you're looking me in the eyes all defiant!" Matthias was now shouting, half slurring, and Arthur looked away quickly. The stupid alpha had wanted him to look a moment ago.

Arthur gasped suddenly, the wind unexpectedly being knocked out of him and a sharp pain blooming across his abdomen. He noticed he was now lying on his back, with Matthias standing over him, glaring, and he realised he'd been kicked in the stomach, hard.

"You don't know your place!" Matthias spat as Arthur scrambled back into a seated position. He was still coughing and gasping for breath, and began eyeing the door again, considering whether or not an escape would be possible. The alpha seemed to be getting steadily drunker as time passed, his body still processing the large amount of alcohol he had consumed. Arthur, however, was too drunk himself to use that to his advantage.

Matthias growled suddenly, kicking Arthur onto his back, stomping down painfully onto Arthur's chest.

"You're a...a fucking omega, you should act like one, you're no...not better than me.," The alpha hissed, struggling to get his words out.

Arthur wriggled slightly under Matthias's boot, though stopped when he saw the look the alpha was giving him. It was a dangerous one, and Arthur realised he had to get away from Matthias as soon as possible.

Forcing his sleepy and drunken mind to analyse the situation, Arthur found the perfect opportunity when Matthias rose his leg from Arthur's chest, presumably to slam it down somewhere else on Arthur's body.

Arthur gripped the raised ankle, knowing the alpha would be off balance whilst standing on one leg as drunk as he was, and flipped the Dance backwards into the bathtub behind him.

Arthur didn't stick around to observe a reaction, unlocking the bathroom door and rushing out of the room, ignoring the pain (and not thinking about the bruise he was going to have to hide for days).

Deciding it was probably best to leave the party all-together, Arthur sent a text to Alistair, who was always willing to pick Arthur up when he was drunk without scolding him (he was perfectly happy for Arthur to drink - under-age, omega and all). He was also not too intuitive, so probably wouldn't notice if Arthur was in pain as long as he didn't make it obvious.

Stopping by the living room, he saw Matthew on the couch, talking to some alpha Arthur didn't recognise.

"Hey, Matt, my brother texted me, he wants me home," Arthur lied, and Matthew turned his attention from the alpha to his friend.

"Okay, that's good, I think you've had a bit too much anyway," Matthew smiled at him cheekily, an attitude change that suggested Matthew himself had gotten a little tipsy whilst Arthur was away.

"Tell Francis I say bye," Arthur requested, giving Matthew a wave as he went to wait out front for his brother. He was sure Francis would be disappointed to have not seen much of Arthur before the omega left, but Arthur didn't really care. In fact, he had never before felt more relieved than when he saw his brother finally pull into the French alpha's driveway.


	4. Chapter 4

The weeks that past since Francis's party were surprisingly uneventful for the omega: his bruises had bloomed and faded away, Francis had complained for days about Arthur leaving the party so early, and Arthur had realised (to Francis's delight, although he was not aware of the omega's motives) that sticking near the French alpha was much more effective than running round the school hiding from his bullies. Most surprisingly, Matthias had apologised for his actions at the party, explaining that he tended to get out of control when drunk. He had announced a hope that there would be "no hard feelings", and that the whole event would be kept between the two of them. Arthur was, of course, aware that this apology had more to do with Matthias's fear of being caught than a desire to reconcile, but the omega was happy to receive some form of apology nonetheless.

This peacefulness lasted for two months, and Arthur had almost begun to believe the alphas had grown bored of him (or maybe grown up). To Francis's disappointment, this also meant Arthur was spending more time away from the alpha, not willing to risk to close a relationship blooming with the French teen from all the time they were spending together.

It was when Alfred approached him on the way home from school one day, looking tense and concerned, that Arthur remembered why he usually avoided getting his hopes up.

"Arthur, hey!" Alfred greeted with forced cheer as he approached the omega. Arthur immediately quickened his pace, though the effort was pointless as the tall alpha easily caught up with him.

"Hey, I just want to talk!" he exclaimed, sounding desperate enough to get Arthur's attention. "Please, I'm alone, I promise!" Alfred pleaded, relaxing slightly when Arthur sighed and slowed down.

"Fine, but make it quick," he huffed. He had known Alfred for so long that he could barely refuse the idiot anything.

"Well...it's about Francis's party, ya know, the one from a couple of months back," Alfred started, carefully judging the omega's reaction. Arthur stiffened slightly, looking uncomfortable as he stared silently at the alpha, waiting for an elaboration.

"Matthias just told us today what happened, and -" he stopped talking as Arthur began walking away again, sighing and hurrying after the omega, "Come on, Arthur - look, I know you probably hate me a lot right now, and I know you probably don't want to talk about the party, but I just want to warn you," Alfred pleaded with the omega, refraining from pulling the Brit back by his arm.

"Warn me of what?" Arthur continued his speedy walk, pretending that Alfred's last words had not concerned him at all.

"Ivan and Sadiq...well, Ivan mostly," Alfred sighed, unsure of how to explain fully, "When Matthias told us, they just had this...look...I mean, I've seen them look like that before, like they've got some evil plan. Just...just please watch your back, stick around Francis or something, I don't know," Alfred scratched his cheek, unsure of what truly useful advice he could give.

Suddenly worried about his own safety, feeding off Alfred's concern, Arthur turned to glare at the American.

"I don't see what you care, you've been a perfect little accomplice to their games so far," Arthur hissed, taking Alfred by surprise as he tried to cover up his fear with anger. Seeing that Alfred apparently had no reply to give, Arthur huffed, "Don't follow me any more, I know you don't live this way and I want to go home in peace," he added, storming away from the alpha.

Deciding to respect the wishes of the omega he had already done enough to hurt, Alfred stopped in the middle of the street, watching worriedly as Arthur walked away before heading for his own home in the other direction.

Arthur had spent two days trying to ignore Alfred's warning, though he couldn't deny his nervousness, and even Francis had noticed that he was on edge. This had led to Arthur hiding away again, the opposite of the advice given by Alfred, lest Francis figure out that something serious was going on.

It was on the third day of worrying, when Arthur was leaving school - having stayed late again - that he sensed a familiar, threatening aura. Fighting back panic, a sensation that Arthur was angry at himself for feeling, Arthur glanced around, trying to spot the alphas he knew were nearby.

Not seeing anyone, Arthur took a few steps forward, ready to flee as soon as Ivan, and Sadiq by the smell of things, made their appearance. Unfortunately, Arthur's senses were not as keen as he had hoped, and the two stepped into his line of sight closer than he had expected. Arthur found himself frozen, the fear that he had let build up over the past few days taking over. He was sure he would be angry at his own weaknesses later, but for now, he had to force himself to even breathe as the pair approached him, Ivan in particular looking vaguely manic.

"Good evening, little omega," Ivan greeted cheerily as he approached, "Sadiq and I want to have a little talk with you. Here is not the place, however," Arthur jumped as sudden contact with his arm snapped him to attention, and he found his elbow grasped tightly in the Russian's grip. Slightly scared over the damage the strong Russian could easily do to his arm if he resisted, Arthur didn't pull away as Ivan took him on a short walk to a more secluded area, Sadiq, silent, following close behind.

Ivan released Arthur's arm once they'd reached the small alley between the back of the school and the fence of the currently empty sports field. Arthur didn't move from where he was placed, with his back facing the wall and the two alphas standing in front of him. Arthur tried to focus on pushing away his fear so that he could react angrily to being cornered, but he failed to muster even a glare in the presence of such a dangerous looking Ivan.

Sadiq snorted, noticing Arthur's attempt to glare, "I think he's scared, Ivan,"

Ivan's smile grew at this. "I hope so, it will make things much easier for all of us if you behave, Arthur,"

The omega tried not to react the the alphas, shifting his gaze from their faces to the ground and nervously chewing his lip. He didn't know what the two wanted with him, but it likely wasn't going to be anything pleasant.

"Now, I was very jealous when I heard about you and Matthias playing together at Francis's party, which I wasn't even invited to," Ivan pouted, though somehow still appeared threatening.

Arthur realised suddenly that the unidentified emotion that was making Ivan appear more dangerous than usual was, in fact, jealousy. This only increased his nervousness, as he knew how dangerous the emotion could be in an alpha.

"So, I decided that we would have to play extra hard to make up for it today," Ivan looked pleased with himself as he pulled a metal pipe out from his large trench coat, causing both Arthur and Sadiq to take a step back, the former frightened and the latter shocked.

"Ivan, we never talked about this," Sadiq mumbled, pulling the alpha away from Arthur and over to him, "I don't think using that is a good idea..." he trailed off, looking tense.

"Do not worry," Ivan answered the alpha, pulling away and stepping towards Arthur again, " I will not get us in any trouble,"

Sadiq relaxed at the reassurance, and in the presence of a dangerous alpha wielding a weapon, Arthur was too distracted to care that Sadiq was more interested in staying out of trouble than Arthur's safety.

Again frozen to the spot, and now in more danger than he had imagined the alphas could put him in, Arthur cowered as Ivan approached, the alpha not needing to contribute scent to intimidate the omega.

Ivan raised the pipe and Arthur flinched, causing Ivan to grin. The Brit began to feel strangely nauseous at the thought of the metal pipe being used on him, but instead of swinging the pipe at the omega, Ivan instead pointed it at the Brit's chest, shoving him backwards and giggling as Arthur stumbled. A couple more nudges, which Arthur didn't resist to, had the omega forced backwards and pinned against the wall behind him, and Ivan grinned, delighted.

"I'm very happy with your new obedient attitude today, you are not usually so passive," Ivan poked at Arthur's side with the pipe, and Arthur felt sick with himself for giving the alphas such an easy time, "But that doesn't make me want to play with you any less," Ivan's grin turned slightly manic as he raised the pipe in the air and swung it harshly onto Arthur's thigh.

Arthur cried out at the sharp pain and collapsed forward onto his knees. He immediately shuffled back against the wall, staring up at the pleased Russian and sniggering Turk warily.

"I like you much better on your knees, I think," Ivan giggled again before raising the pipe once more.

Acting unconsciously, and surprising even himself, Arthur whimpered, and he found himself releasing a new scent – one he was unfamiliar with producing but instantly recognised anyway – the scent of submission. Arthur seemed as horrified as Ivan and Sadiq seemed shocked, but with Ivan still raising the pipe ready to swing, Arthur was unable to work around his fear to control the scent.

The confused silence was interrupted when Sadiq seemed to come to terms with the scent, and the alpha burst into laughter.

"You took one little hit and you're trying to submit to us, huh?" the alpha boomed, disturbingly joyful, "What happened to the strong little omega from a few months ago, are you finally learning how to behave properly?"

Arthur looked up, the taunts doing nothing to anger him or change his scents, but still making him feel deeply ashamed of his unintentional actions. Although he couldn't force away the scents, Arthur did try and force himself to stand, but he was soon knocked down again by the pipe harshly hitting his stomach.

He gasped and choked, winded, barely able to pay attention as Ivan crouched down in front of him.

"I told you I liked you better on your knees," Ivan cheerily told the doubled over omega before standing back up.

Arthur groaned miserably in response, and Sadiq snickered.

Ivan waited for a moment, until Arthur was beginning to recover from the hit to his stomach, to swing again, this time aiming for the Brit's rib cage, and if nothing had been seriously injured with that hit, the pain as Ivan swung at his ribs once more assured Arthur that his bones were now at least bruised, and possibly cracked. He collapsed onto his other side, groaning and clutching at his ribs.

"You're being such a good omega today," Ivan exclaimed, happily pressing the pipe into Arthur's injured side, causing the omega to cry out loudly.

"I think that's enough, Ivan," Sadiq muttered to his friend, "It's not like we can just take him to a hospital if we go too far,"

"Arthur will be fine," the Russian smiled, "You're a tough little omega, aren't you Arthur," Ivan turned his attention back to the blond as he placed more pressure on the pipe. Arthur sobbed, in too much pain to be horrified at his tears.

"I guess..." Sadiq trailed off, still worried about the trouble he could get in, "But I think I'm going home now anyway," he eyed Ivan, almost wary, but the larger alpha simply shrugged.

"Okay, I will see you on Monday," he said happily, not looking in Sadiq's direction as he delightedly observed the crying omega. The Turk left with only Arthur watching him go.

"Hm, what next?" Ivan pondered aloud, his voice alone making Arthur shiver. The alpha paced for a few moments, clearly content to watch the omega suffer for a while, before deciding to act again. "I wonder how badly you need your legs," he laughed, preparing to swing the pipe with enough force to break bone.

Ivan froze suddenly, turning away from Arthur as the scent of a new alpha made itself known, and Arthur didn't know whether to be relieved or embarrassed to see Alfred running towards them. Dropping the pipe to his side, the Russian looked inquisitively towards the gasping American.

"Ivan, I was looking for you, your older sister is in the parking lot, she's been waiting for you for a while," Alfred panted, trying not to make his worried glances at Arthur too obvious.

"Ah, I forgot she was taking me home today, it seems I have been playing for longer than I meant to," Ivan pouted a little as he stared at Arthur on the ground, "I guess we will have to play again later, yes?" he smiled at Arthur, "Goodbye, Alfred, I will see you next week!" the alpha said as he tucked the pipe back into his jacket and turned away.

Both Alfred and Arthur watched the Russian as he left, Alfred wanting to avoid the uncomfortable situation and Arthur trying to hold in his tears and hide the sensory evidence of his submission.

Eventually, Alfred met Arthur's gaze, and the two stared at each other for a silent moment. Alfred looked torn and confused, Arthur noticed, and also incredibly concerned. Arthur knew he probably looked and smelt pretty pitiful.

He was slightly shocked, however, when Alfred simply turned away and walked off. Arthur didn't think he deserved or needed Alfred's help, but regardless, seeing the alpha turn away when he was so badly injured hurt just as badly as the physical injuries inflicted by Ivan, and Arthur didn't understand why Alfred wouldn't even offer him help getting home.

Forcing himself to hold in another sob, Arthur curled in on himself where he lay, watching silently as Alfred left and staring at the spot where he disappeared for long enough for his position to become cramped and uncomfortable.

It was another cold hour before Arthur managed to pull himself to his feet, limping and his ribs excruciating, and another half hour before he had managed to drag himself home.

Glad his family were spending the evening at some fancy dinner party (which Arthur had not wanted to attend), the omega dragged himself into the scent and sound proofed room designed for him to privately spend his heats in.

Having no need to put a mask up any more, Arthur let himself cry, eventually falling asleep tear stained, hurt and traumatised.


	5. Chapter 5

I've added some explanation about scents and pheromones in this omegaverse series to my fanfiction profile (if you're reading on AO3, a link to that profile can be found on my profile here)!

In slightly less detail, for the purposes of this fic, I'll say that as a person grows older and more experienced, they develop more "skill" in regard to scents. This means both controlling what they secrete as well as detecting other's secretions.

Scents can express a range of things, from emotion to simply a person's presence.

At Arthur's stage, he can control his scents to a certain extent - probably more than the average 16 year old omega since he has a lot of practice at it (he's both proud and shy). He is much weaker than the average 16 year old omega at detecting scents, however. He doesn't know this, but the alphas in his life have noticed. Currently, he can detect obvious emotions. He can also tell if a person is an alpha, beta or omega, as well as if they are familial (part of his family clan) or not. He cannot detect the scents of specific individuals, or more subtle emotions and social cues.

* * *

Arthur had awoken ridiculously early that morning, for which he was thankful, as he had been able to slink off unnoticed back to his usual room - not that his family questioned when he visited his heat room outside of heats. They knew how much Arthur valued his pride, and how much, despite being an omega, Arthur hated to cry in front of others.

Upon entering his normal room, Arthur headed straight for his bed, still exhausted despite the long rest he had just had. He curled up under his covers, now much calmer than when he had rushed into the house the night previously. Still in pain, however, he was glad to find he drifted off again without a problem.

He was woken up what felt like only minutes later, but was more likely a few hours, by knocking at his bedroom door. A bleary glance at the alarm clock on the bedside table showed it was 11 in the morning – not too late, but much later than Arthur would usually sleep on a weekend.

Arthur sniffed the air, expecting a parent or sibling, but instead he perked up in surprise, suddenly alert. He could smell an angry alpha, and not a familial one. Arthur could tell, however, that the anger was not directed at him, so was more confused than frightened. He became more confused when the door opened and Francis, of all the angry alphas that could interrupt his sleep at 11 in the morning, entered.

"Fran?" he questioned, pulling himself up into a proper seated position, but not leaving the bed. He was worried he would be limping badly, as he had been when he woke up earlier in the morning.

"Good morning, Arthur," Francis smiled at the omega as he entered the room, though the expression seemed slightly strained. Under the anger, which Arthur could tell Francis was trying to suppress, the Brit picked up on the scent of concern. Arthur pushed away the nagging panic that Francis had somehow figured out what was going on, and assured himself that it was the usual "you're avoiding me" rant he should be preparing for.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked with a frown as Francis sat on the bed next to him, and the concern reached the alpha's eyes. Arthur and Francis had known each other far too long, and had had far too many sleepovers, for Arthur's acceptance of Francis in his bed to be weird. However, the omega was sure that the fact he was sleeping in his school uniform was slightly suspicious to the alpha.

Francis sighed, and seemed to debate for a moment over what to say, "Okay, Arthur, please don't freak over what I want to discuss with you, I know you wont be pleased to hear this," he paused to take in Arthur's completely baffled expression, "But Alfred phoned me this morning and -" Francis stopped at the sudden unpleasant turn in Arthur's scent. He swallowed heavily. He was more used to dealing with Arthur's anger than his open distress, "He told me...uh...what's been going on..." Francis trailed off, nervous over the extent of Arthur's sudden panic.

"W-what did he say?" Arthur growled with poorly feigned anger, refusing to meet Francis's eyes as he realised his previous fears were not so irrational and far fetched after all, "I-I'll bloody murder him if he's been making things up,"

Francis grimaced as he struggled to stop himself from pulling Arthur into his arms and eradicating the omega's panic. That might satisfy his desire to protect the omega, but it wouldn't result in the discussion he wanted. "He told me about Sadiq, Ivan and Matthias, and what they've been doing..." he trailed off again as the Brit's scent took a further sharp turn.

"W-What? They've not been doing anything," Arthur could feel his throat tightening unpleasantly as he struggled to breathe. There was no way Francis could know what had been going on. He'd tell everyone. He'd tell the school, Arthur's family - probably even the authorities. He'd never let Arthur out of his sight again.

"Please calm down Arthur," Francis almost begged, "I know you don't like people to see your weaknesses, but he told me they've been picking on you for months now. You should have told me yourself, and sooner! I could have helped," the alpha placed a comforting hand on Arthur's shoulder

"Wh-what else did he say?" Arthur asked, Francis's encouragement calming his nerves slightly and helping to clear his panic-clouded brain.

"That was it, he left the conversation in a hurry,"

Arthur nodded in acceptance, letting out a few deep breaths, trembling slightly as the adrenaline left him. Francis didn't know as much as Arthur had thought he had. If all Francis knew was that he had been "picked on", then he could easily downplay the extent of the other alphas' actions.

Arthur sighed heavily, putting on an act of exasperation. "It's nothing, Francis, just a bit of teasing, I can handle it,"

Francis looked at him suspiciously. "And that's why you panicked when I even brought the issue up?"

Arthur glared at the French alpha. "I did not "panic", Francis. I was just worried that Alfred had been over dramatic, as usual, and exaggerated the truth. Like I said, I can completely handle three assholes who think they're a lot more clever than they actually are - you know I can. If you would stay out of it, I'd appreciate it greatly,"

Francis laughed a little, all tension leaving him at Arthur's angered words and tone. "Okay, I can see you are well. You worried me earlier," he reached over to ruffle Arthur's hair but his hand was slapped away. Francis laughed again. "Just as long as they are not hurting you. You'll tell me if they do anything you can't handle, promise?"

Arthur huffed, "Yeah, yeah. Just stay out of it for now,"

"Well, I can't promise I won't speak to them, but we can stop talking about it for now if you'd prefer,"

Arthur nodded. He couldn't complain about Francis talking tot he three alphas. It was a little embarrassing to have someone else stick up for him against the trio, but they at least might ease up if they knew someone was onto them.

"But, since I'm here anyway, why don't we spend the day together? You have been avoiding me for so long, so you can make up for it now. Perhaps we can go out for a romantic meal, or we could go see a film together, if you prefer?" Francis winked at Arthur suggestively and the omega growled.

"You frog," he hissed, throwing a pillow, "Trust you to use an event like this to manipulate your way into my company," Arthur growled, though in reality, he wasn't as angry as he would normally have been. With the amount of time he had spent avoiding the alpha, he had actually started to miss his somewhat comforting presence.

"Is that a yes, then?"

Arthur threw another pillow, which Francis caught, grinning, and placed back on the bed. "Go wait downstairs and make conversation with my family, frog. I'm going for a shower,"

Francis smiled delightedly and stood. "Don't take long cher, I'll be waiting,"

"And wherever we go, you're paying," Arthur added as Francis left his bedroom, though he knew the alpha would insist on it anyway.

Arthur sighed as he stood from his bed, testing his body. His thigh, although probably bruised, was not giving him trouble, but his rib, he noticed now that he was moving, was still excruciating. However, known for his slight clumsiness, he had broken his ribs twice before, and was therefore certain they were this time only bruised, or fractured at the very most. He knew what to do anyway, and exactly what would happen if he went to a doctor – pain medication and breathing exercises, both things he was sure he didn't actually need a doctor's help for.

He was certain that for one day at least, he would be able to force himself to walk around normally with the help of some ordinary pain medication. He could see what stronger medication he could pick up at a later time, when he was lacking Francis's presence.

New found determination in mind, Arthur stood, heading for the shower and pleased at his ability to hide his pain and walk as normal. If he was lucky, the majority of his day with Francis would be spent seated anyway.

* * *

Arthur groaned, gently lowering himself onto his bed in relief.

He had only been out with Francis for four or five house, during which time they had both gone for a meal and seen a movie, but Arthur had honestly never been more glad to be home. It had taken a lot of effort to act as it he wasn't in pain, but it seemed that Francis genuinely never noticed something was wrong.

Regardless, Arthur was exhausted, and definitely not ready to track down some co-codamol. He could do that tomorrow, and maybe Monday would be an easier day to face than the current day had been.

Arthur sighed as he leant back into his pillows, deciding against forcing himself to stay awake. He had had a stressful couple of days, and a little more sleep couldn't hurt him.

He closed his eyes and drifted off, a little more confident of what Monday could bring.


	6. Chapter 6

Final chapter - sorry it took so long for me to get to it! It was done a couple of weeks ago but I was in the middle of moving for the third time in a year and I had no internet. But here it is at last!

Sorry about the issue with paragraph breaks. Chapter has been sorted!

* * *

A further three weeks passed relatively peacefully for Arthur, and he found that despite the physical discomfort of healing injuries, he was content. The alpha trio had reverted back to nothing more than slight verbal abuse – the only bullying he had promised Francis he was experiencing – and he had even been able to stick up for himself without the three getting angry at him.

However, Arthur was not about to make the same mistake twice, and unlike the last time, he did not get his hopes up. The peace was not going to last, and he was not blind to that. When he was grabbed and dragged into an empty locker room on the way to lunch one day, he was only slightly surprised. What was a little unexpected, however, was the sheer anger on the faces of Sadiq and Matthias, as well as the slightly menacing smile he was receiving from Ivan.

No matter how content he had been recently, Arthur had not gotten over the night with Ivan and Sadiq. Memories quickly began to stir, and the omega was growing nervous already. Deciding it was in his own best interests to stay quiet, he watched in an unusual timidness for the alphas to act.

The uncharacteristically angry Matthias spoke first.

"Arthur," he growled with a smile that was not happy, but malicious, "We were wondering if you'd happened to have snitched to anyone about our little...interactions recently?"

The Dane smelt terrifyingly angered, and although he seemed to be unaware of it, he was preventing Arthur from speaking at all. The omega could only watch the alpha, whose face was pushed right into his own, with wide eyes. Internally he was not just scared, but confused. He wondered if Alfred had fucked up badly enough to have told a teacher about the actions of the trio.

"Well?" the word was not just a prompt for an answer, but an absolute demand.

The order over-ruling his terrified silence, he shook his head wildly. "I-I've not told anyone," he stuttered.

There was tutting from behind Matthias, breaking Arthur's focus from the Dane's oppressive odour and allowing Arthur to scramble back against a wall. He felt safer with his back covered, but as the alpha's circled him completely, he knew it was a stupid move. The situation was now inescapable.

"It is not for little omegas to lie to alphas," it had been Ivan who had tutted, but the vicious tone of his voice did not match his lightly scolding words.

"Francis came to have a little word with us," Sadiq snarled from Matthias's other side, "and I don't see how he could have known about anything unless _someone_ told him. You might be an omega, but we thought you had more pride than running to a sissy like _that_ for help,"

Arthur winced hearing his friend referred to in such a way, but took a death breath, concentrating on gaining some control over his fear and panic. He needed the ability to speak and explain. The three clearly thought, as Arthur did when Francis had appeared at his house that day, that the French alpha knew everything. Their anger was stemming from their own fear of being caught, and if he was to save himself, he had to eliminate those fears.

"I d-didn't tell Francis anything," he forced out as calmly as he could, "and he doesn't know much. He thinks you were just teasing me, and he found out on his own. He's agreed not to tell anyone else. No-one's going to find out," the speech sounded almost rehearsed due to his nerves, but the alphas had clearly listened as they backed off slightly. Sadiq muttered something quietly to his friends, who both nodded before turning back to the omega.

"I tell you what," Arthur found himself slammed against the wall of the changing room, pinned by Matthias's forearm against his neck, "Since nothing's come of it yet, we'll believe you this time. _But_ _ **,**_ we're not going to go easy on you. Francis shouldn't know _anything_ , so we'll be giving you a little taster of what will happen if he finds out the rest. Understand?"

Arthur nodded in response. He didn't want a 'little taster' of anything, but he couldn't breathe and was desperate for the arm to be removed from his throat.

"Great," Matthias pulled away and Arthur gasped in relief, glad to have air again. This comfort, however, was short lived, as an unexpected blow landed on his stomach. With his ribs still injured, Arthur chocked in pain as his vision momentarily went white. He was barely even aware of the laughter of the alphas as he collapsed onto his knees.

Arthur was still gasping for breath when he was struck again, this time a foot to the chest. He was unable to even whimper as someone – Sadiq, he thought – yanked him off the ground and slammed him back down. He was sure he smelt wildly afraid, but he couldn't focus on anything other than the dizzying, nauseating pressure enveloping his skull, which had hit the ground harshly along with the rest of his body.

After a moment, he attempted to stand, instinct forcing him to get himself up off the ground and into a less vulnerable position. He was kicked onto his back by Ivan before he had even begun to rise from his knees, and he stilled immediately, holding his breath as memories from his last encounter with the Russian overwhelmed him. Ivan's boot, resting on his chest, began to push down heavily, and Arthur whined, realising then that he was crying. He was struggling to breathe again, to the extent that he didn't dare waste air screaming when someone else landed two quick kicks to his face. He didn't try to wriggle away either, despite the crushing pressure. Maybe if Matthias or Sadiq had been forcing him down, but Ivan was much worse news.

The pressure was gone suddenly and Arthur gratefully gasped for air as he was pulled back up by his hair. His face was struck again, now by Matthias's fist, hitting his nose and adding to his lightheadedness. He knew he was bleeding – he could taste the blood running into his mouth, but it didn't slow the three alphas down and he was thrown into the wall. He could smell them at this point better than he could see them, and Matthias and Sadiq both seemed to be so caught up in the violence that they barely knew what they were doing, regressed to an almost feral state.

Kneed in the stomach before he could slide back onto the floor, Arthur looked up to see a blurry Sadiq. The alpha had a fist ready to strike, but as Arthur prepared himself for the blow, it was dropped suddenly, Arthur quickly following as Sadiq pulled away.

From the ground, he took a couple of deep, relieved breaths, blearily noting the changes in his surroundings. The alphas had backed off, their scents not so overpowering and intimidating. There were new scents in the room, and a different type of alpha anger was detectable. It was stronger, but had much less of an impact on the omega – it was the kind alphas used on each other.

Hands appeared under his armpits, pulling him up. They were not forceful, but gentle, and the accompanying scent was beta and not alpha. It didn't matter to Arthur anyway; he wasn't afraid anymore. His brain was still muddled from pain and emotional overload, but something was making him feel safe. He peered up through bleary eyes as he was eased away from the scene, towards the back of the locker room. It was away from the alphas who had attacked him, but it also felt further away from safety, and whatever part of his brain was still functioning correctly wanted to know why.

Forcing himself to open his eyes again, he peered around. It was Francis. Francis was here. And...Antonio? Arthur wasn't sure, his vision was still blurry, but he could recognise Francis. It was just the two new alphas and Matthias. Ivan and Sadiq were nowhere in sight, likely having fled before a scene could be created. Matthias hadn't been as lucky and was cornered. There was no physical violence, but despite ringing ears Arthur could hear Francis yelling, and Matthias smelt incredibly nervous and alarmed.

He turned to the beta who was lowering him onto a bench. It was Kiku, a sensible classmate who Arthur enjoyed talking to from time to time. He was a very small beta, who had probably struggled to half carry the injured omega across the locker room, and Arthur wanted to thank him. To his embarrassment, all that came out was a distressed whine, and he noticed his body was trembling. With the removal of the threat, his mind was gradually clearing, functioning almost as normal, but his body must still have been struggling to deal with the emotional shock.

When Francis – and what was now clearly Antonio – backed off, Matthias fled. Francis was with Arthur in a moment, frantic as he began to check over the omega. Kiku had shuffled back awkwardly, to give them room, but Antonio, less reserved, was only a moment behind Francis.

Arthur knew he looked a mess. He could feel his right cheek swelling, the rest of his face tear covered and bloody, and he was sure there were many more bruises that would be gradually blooming. He didn't care for Francis's fussing, however. He only cared that the alpha was there, and even though he knew he'd be embarrassed about it later, he threw himself off the bench and into the safety of the other teen's arms. The terror that had still been controlling his body began to ebb as Francis stood, taking Arthur with him and murmuring comforting words in his ear.

"It's okay, we're going to the nurse, you'll be okay. She'll fix you up, and I won't leave your side," Francis promised as he repositioned the omega against his hip. Arthur was not so pleased with this idea.

"No nurse. Take me home," he grumbled weakly. He was hurt but he wasn't stupid. Going to the nurse would mean the involvement of the school, everyone's families, and possibly even the authorities. With the Braginski's in particular, it would probably be a lot more trouble than it was worth. "Please," he added, sensing the reluctance of the two alphas.

"I apologise if I'm interfering, but I believe home might be best," Arthur, from over Francis's shoulder, shot Kiku a grateful look, "His brothers will deal with this better than the school will. He needs a bath and probably a check-up at the hospital, not the nurse and a police interview,"

Francis sighed. "You're right, home it is," he sounded reluctant, but Arthur was able to relax fully at that.

"Thank you," he mumbled into the alphas shoulder, feeling impossibly drowsy.

The second lunch bell had long since rung, and with everyone in class, the group left to a thankfully empty corridor, Arthur still in Francis's arms. Kiku, not one to intrude, parted with a quiet goodbye and a well-wishing for Arthur's speedy recovery. Antonio, having known Arthur for as long as Francis, was not so easily shooed away. He made himself useful, calling his parents to get the three of them a ride back to Arthur's place as he tagged along.

"It's been like this for a while, hasn't it?" Francis's panic and anger had been replaced by an uncharacteristic gloominess.

The question did little to rouse the drowsy omega, who only managed a questioning "Hm?"

"When Alfred called me that one time...I didn't want it to be true, so when you told me everything was fine, I made myself believe it. I knew something was wrong - you were acting so unlike yourself. This wouldn't have happened if-"

"Francis!" Antonio exclaimed, interrupting the ramble. Arthur was stirring now, evidently distressed, and Antonio's grin was forced, "That's a bit heavy right now, huh? Let him rest. Talking can wait,"

"I – yes, you're right," Francis agreed, though his scent was still muddled with guilt. This did not seem to sit well with Arthur, who was not so easily placated.

"Idiot! It's not you're fault. How the hell-"

"Hush, Arthur," Francis soothed the stressing omega, setting himself down on the bench by the pick-up point and delicately arranging Arthur in his lap, "Antonio's right. You need to rest for now. Anything that needs to be said can be said later. You were dozing a minute ago. I'm sorry I interrupted that. Me and Antonio are going to take care of everything, all you need to do is rest and continue to let yourself be cared for,"

Arthur huffed, but didn't say anything else. He was still drained after all, and embarrassment had also set in. He'd much rather be asleep and oblivious than awake to face the sympathy and concern of Antonio's soon to arrive parents, let alone his own family. Conversation continued between the two alphas, hushed and incomprehensible, but a comfort as Arthur drifted off again.

* * *

A day later found Arthur flopped on a hospital bed, arms crossed and glaring at the ceiling. "I can't believe they're keeping me in here for a second night," he huffed. He had had a much more thorough check-over at the hospital than he had expected, and although nothing was seriously injured, the doctor had insisted he stay in for observation – the head injury was mostly to blame for that. The news had left him more irritable than usual, and despite how concerned his family was for him, Francis was the only one willing to stay overnight with the grumpy omega.

"It's not that bad. We get to spend another night in the same bed after all," Francis winked, but Arthur, having none of it, smacked him with a magazine.

"You were supposed to be sleeping on _the chair._ That was the agreement you made with the nurses,"

Francis faked a horrified expression. "You'd leave me to spend the night all alone on a small, cold chair? After I come all this way to see you?"

"Yes,"

"How cruel!" The dramatics were put on, and despite everything, Arthur laughed.

"Get in then you desperate git. If you hog the covers, I'll kick you to the floor,"

"I won't, I promise,"

Nodding, Arthur shuffled over. The bed was not much more than a single, and it was a tight fit, but sharing the space did bring some warmth to the chilly hospital room. Sleeping with familiar company in an unfamiliar environment also gave the omega a sounder night of sleep, but he wasn't about to tell the alpha that.

"Now shut up and go to sleep, I'm tired from all that poking and prodding," It was true. Lying in a hospital bed all day could be exhausting when you had to deal with one too many nurses.

"Of course, mon petit, right away," Francis kissed the top of Arthur's head, which almost earned him a fist in the face. At the last moment, Arthur decided he wasn't in the mood for violence after all, and he dropped his fist. He settled with flicking Francis in the forehead.

"Git. Don't try anything like that again,"

"Alright, my mistake," Francis chuckled as he settled in. He spent a moment adjusting pillows and blankets to make them suit two, before turning back to the omega. "We'll sleep now, yes?" he asked, but Arthur was already too far gone to reply.

 _He really was tired,_ Francis sighed, but smiled fondly. He was hoping to harass the omega a little more before they slept, but seeing Arthur so peaceful and comfortable was nice too. Nowhere near tired himself, Francis didn't bother lying down. He didn't grab any reading material either. He was more than happy to keep a protective watch as Arthur slept next to him. It was the least he could do after everything he _didn't_ do over the last few months.

"Never again," he whispered, running a hand distractedly through Arthur's hair. He'd be keeping a much closer eye on the omega from now on.

* * *

Again, sorry it took me so long to finish this. Thank you all so much for reading and being so patient!

I also apologise if the writing style or tone has changed from the first five chapters. I wrote them during study periods in sixth year (though typed them up much later), whilst this chapter has just been written from scratch. I'm in my second year of uni now so it's been a long time. If the style _has_ changed, it's hopefully for the better, but uni has almost completely rid me of any motivation or creativity so I'm not hopeful ^^;;


End file.
